Reykjavík – Snæfellsnes peninsula

We picked up the car from Blue car hire and drove out of the city. Our first night was only a couple of hours away but we had a few stops along the way.

First was a detour from the ring road, a long way around the Hvalfjordur. This was a very pretty Fjord with lots of view points on the way.

Back on the ring road and the next detour was to see the waterfalls Hraunfossar & Barnafossar. Both of the waterfalls are in a short walking distance from the car park. Hraunfossar is a waterfall which flows from under a lava field so it looks like the water is coming out of the rocks. There are a few easy walking trails and boards telling you about the histoy and legend of the area.

A few minutes from the falls is Deildartunguhuver, Europe’s biggest hot spring. The 100°C water heats the neighbouring complex Krauma, here you’ll find several hot pools all different temperatures. with the bonus of a cold pool and a steam room. It was a nice way to spend some time relaxing after exploring the area.

A short drive back to our nights stay at Fossatún guesthouse. This wonderful stay has plenty of types of accommodation from private rooms to camping pods. A restaurant, bar and best of all a waterfall on the property. The falls are called the Troll falls and the owner has written children books about the trolls. There are plenty of walks around the area with activities for kids to do along the way.

Snaefellsnes peninsula

This drive was from Borgarnes to the Snæfellsnes peninsula, with loads of stops along the way. Unfortunately we ran out of time and couldn’t do them all, I do recommend spending 2 days doing the Peninsula.

Budir

First was the black church at Búďir this stunning church is definitely worth a stop. From here you can walk down though the sand dunes to the beach and see some lava formations. There’s also a very nice hotel here which makes for a good spot for a coffee or hot chocolate break. (by the way the hot chocolate in Iceland is amazing)

Raudfeldsgja

Raudfeldsgja gorge was the next stop, a steep narrow crack which disappears into the rock face. If you climbed the steep trek to get to the gorge you can actually walk quite far inside until it gets too tight.

Arnarstapi

The town of Arnarstapi was next on the agenda, this quaint little town definitely packs a punch with things to see. From the car park walk towards a huge statue made of stones to resemble a troll and head on to the coast. Here you’ll find plenty of walks where you can view waves crashing against basalt columns and arches (one is quite hidden). This place was so beautiful and with plenty of places to eat you can easily spend a couple of hours here.

Further along the road is a stop off to see the Londrangar cliffs, these volcanic cliffs are the remains of a crater that has been eroded by the sea.

Sadly enough the other stops around the peninsula which we ran out of time to see consisted of some lighthouses, a crater and the most photographed mountain in Iceland Kirkjufell. But…. we went back to the mountain the next day.

The town of Grundarfjordur was 20 mins away from our cottage for the night, so we popped back into the town for dinner that night. Our stay was a self contained unit with amazing views from our decking.

Kirkjufell

So we went back to that mountain i was telling you about, the famous one. It was a bit misty still in the morning so the views weren’t as spectacular. There’s a couple of waterfalls here too which makes a great vantage point for a photograph.

So after visiting Kirkjufell we headed back off the Snæfellsnes peninsula and into the ring road.

Glanni and Grábrók crater

Glanni was the next stop, a short walk and you get to a viewing platform for this waterfall. Its quite a small waterfall but very pretty, worth a short stop. There were only a few people here at the time we visited.

Grábrók crater is one of 3 craters in the area and is the largest one. There are steps which you can take up and around the top. The views are pretty incredible from up there, and the neighbouring craters are so beautiful and colourful. Plenty of places to stop on the way up as it is a bit of a climb.